Greenwich.co.uk

Greenwich news and information

Blog posts about Greenwich

Articles, essays and features from well known contributors and opinion formers in Greenwich.

Remembering Mike King

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Mike King was a rather exceptional human being. I first met him early in 2012 in Greenwich Park where he was photographing the start of a cycling event and was soon struck by the sweet nature of this tall, smiling man with a couple of Nikon DSLRs around his neck.

I like to think we became good friends quickly and over the next couple of years it was a great honour to spend time with this gentle man. He was naturally modest but his achievements were many, having covered Olympic games, World Cups and other major events to create a stunning body of work, first as a staff sports photographer on Fleet St and latterly a freelancer. [Read more…]

The Greenwich Peninsula: what a difference a decade makes

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On Tuesday, after months of negotiations, the Council’s Planning Board will determine whether or not to approve Knight Dragon’s revisions to the 2004 Greenwich Peninsula masterplan. The proposals are wide-ranging but the core issues at stake are an increase in the total number of permitted “units” across the site from 10,010 to 15,720 (a 57 per cent increase) and a corresponding drop in the overall proportion of affordable homes from 38 per cent to 25 per cent (22.7 in this application to be added to those already in the pipeline).

When set against the principles underpinning the original Peninsula vision and the collective expectations of the community, Knight Dragon’s offer falls disappointingly short – a view I expressed candidly to their representatives when they presented their final proposals to me last week.

That is not to say that the proposals do not contain much that is to be commended. The plans for a new transport hub (and cycle superhub) at North Greenwich, new and enhanced open spaces, better community facilities, a riverside running track and improvements to the Thames footpath and cyclepath will improve the quality of life for those living in the area. [Read more…]

Snapshot of a diverse river

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An hour or so spent by the Thames on Saturday in glorious weather gave a glimpse of the wonderfully diverse ways in which people use, work on or just simply enjoy the river. Here are some of the vessels seen passing Greenwich on Saturday… [Read more…]

The woman that walked to the Painted Hall from Cornwall (and nearly wasn’t allowed in)

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Here’s a great story found, found in an 1851 edition of the West Kent Guardian, of how an 84 year old woman walked from Cornwall to Greenwich to see the Painted Hall but almost wasn’t allowed in because she looked too “grotesque”.

Mary Callinich arrived at the gate to Greenwich Hospital, having first visited the Great Exhibition, and asked to see the Painted Hall and the Chapel.

The Sergeant guarding the entrance gate, rather unsympathetically, denied the Cornish pensioner entry on the grounds that she had “got such a funny hat”. With that, she whipped out a black velvet bonnet and obviously transformed her appearance such that she was promptly allowed in.

She expressed her “highest gratification” as she departed after a two hour visit. Having seen what she came for, one wonders if the formidable Mary Callinich simply walked back to Cornwall afterwards.

Read the full article below:

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You can find more interesting newspaper stories from the past in the British Newspaper Archive.

HMS Defender leaves, HMS Ocean to arrive next week

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After a six day visit to the capital, the Daring class destroyer HMS Defender sailed out of Greenwich yesterday. The Type 45 warship had been in London for a port visit which helped mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli and she also welcomed aboard visitors last weekend who all seemed to give it the thumbs up, judging by the reaction on social media. [Read more…]

HMS Defender arrives at Greenwich

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IN the very early hours of this morning, HMS Defender arrived at Greenwich.

The Royal Navy’s state-of-the-art destroyer is making its first visit to the capital and will be moored at Greenwich until next Tuesday.

Her visit, and that of HMS Middleton which will be coming up the river to HMS President at Wapping on Friday, is timed to coincide with the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli. [Read more…]

London Borough of Greenwich created 50 years ago today

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The London Borough of Greenwich was created in the big local government shakeup of 1965, bringing together the Metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich. That change came in to effect fifty years ago today with the new borough using the name of Greenwich but being based in Woolwich.

Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich’s final meeting

At the very last meeting of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich in the old town hall, councillors unanimously agreed to place on record their “deep appreciation of the loyal and untiring service given to the Borough over the years” by staff members and in the the final motion, moved by Labour’s Johanna Gollogly, expressed their “deep regret that the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich” was to lose its identity on 31st March 1965. [Read more…]

April Fools’ Day joke gone wrong

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It’s that slightly infuriating day in the year when you can’t trust all that you read as folk try and catch you out with an April Fools’ Day joke. I did one when a few years ago when I put an article on the site saying there had been a spelling mistake in the Queen’s Royal Charter and the borough had been named as Royal Greeenwich (with three Es) in error – I believe it did fool a few people! [Read more…]